11 burned in La Habra explosion, fire; 2 left in critical condition

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LA HABRA Saul Acevedo was working at a La Habra chrome-polishing plant Tuesday morning when he felt a huge explosion followed by a wave of intense heat.

Acevedo, 45, of Anaheim was near the entrance and ran outside as smoke quickly filled the air.

Moments later, he saw that some of his co-workers had been badly burned.

“They suffered burns all over their bodies,” Acevedo said in Spanish as he stood on a grassy area about half a block away from the plant. “Their skin was hanging off.”

The explosion left 11 people injured, two critically, with burns over about 90 percent of their bodies, Inspector Scott Miller said. In addition to the two critical patients, four people had intermediate injuries and five others had minor injuries.

“I don't know what happened,” said Acevedo, who has worked at the plant for three years. “Poor guys.”

Three of the victims, with burns ranging from mild to severe, were being treated at the Orange County Burn Center at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, said the center's spokeswoman Wendi Forrest. Five other victims, one in critical and four in fair condition, were being treated at UCI Medical Center in Orange, said hospital spokesman John Murray.

Sacramento Gonzalez, 49, of Bellflower was a bit shaken, but uninjured Tuesday afternoon. He said workers helped the injured men out of the building and at least one of them appeared to be unconscious.

About 30 workers were polishing wheel rims when the explosion happened around 9:50 a.m. at Gorilla's Polishing at 531 Commercial Way. Los Angeles County firefighters responded and found smoke and flames at the building. The fire was under control by 10:45 a.m. with the help of about 50 firefighters, Miller said, adding that fire investigators ruled out hazardous materials as the cause.

The preliminary investigation pointed to lint and dust in a duct system as the cause of the explosion and fire, he said. Other materials in the building then contributed to the fire's spread, he said, and in spite of Tuesday's wind advisory, weather was not a factor.

The combination of lint and dust can be a volatile combination of flammable materials, he added.

“It goes very quickly and very intense,” he said.

The explosion and fire caused “extensive damage” to the building, Miller said, including smoke, fire and water damage to its interior. A damage estimate was not immediately available.

COMPANY HAD BEEN CITED

In 2011, an inspection by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health found seven violations at the business, ranging from not properly training employees on hazardous substances to failing to monitor employees' exposure to airborne contaminants, according to Cal-OSHA records. Gorilla's Polishing ultimately paid $1,975 in fines in a settlement, and the case was closed in January 2013.

On Tuesday, a smoky, acrid smell lingered in the air as ambulances drove off.

Workers from the plant waited about half a block away. The men began work at 5 a.m. and were about halfway through their shift when the explosion occurred, Acevedo said. The men get paid between $3.25 and $5 for every rim they polish.

The explosion was felt at businesses throughout the block, including Kugel Komponents.

“We were working and all of a sudden there was a huge, huge boom,” said Jerilyn Kugel, office manager at the automotive business, which manufactures suspensions for street rods and hot rods. “We thought it was an earthquake, but then we realized the ground wasn't shaking.”

Mike Bremer, an operations manager at the neighboring VIP Rubber Co., was working in his office when he felt the explosion.

“It made my heart jump up into my throat,” Bremer said.

BOOM ‘LIKE A BOMB'

“This felt like a bomb going off,” Bremer said. “It was one big, loud explosion and a steam sound after that.”

Bremer then saw about 20 to 30 employees from Gorilla's Polishing standing outside the burning building and some were yelling commands to other people.

“It was chaotic. A couple of people I saw were burned, badly burned,” he said. “They had their shirts off.”

Officials from Cal-OSHA also responded to begin their investigation into whether any workplace safety violations took place, spokesman Greg Siggins said.

The investigation will include talking to witnesses, reviewing training documents and making sure equipment was used according to safety requirements, he said.

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